Category: West Side Story (2021)
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Little Scene That Became a North Star
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Creative Writing, Films by Steven Spielberg, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Movies, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021), West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957), West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021)The Little Scene That Became a North Star Every long‑form project has its origin myths — the moments that, in hindsight, shaped everything that came after. Sometimes these moments are deliberate. Sometimes they’re the result of careful planning, thematic intention, or structural foresight. And sometimes they arrive quietly, almost innocently, in a first draft written…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why “Somewhere” was the Only Song Jim and Marty Could Sing
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Books, Creative Writing, Films by Steven Spielberg, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021), West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957), West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021)Why “Somewhere” was the Only Song Jim and Marty Could Sing Every writer knows the moment when a story makes a choice for you. You think you’re the one selecting the detail — the street name, the shade of blue, the song on the radio — but in truth, the story has already decided. Your…
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The Duet That Never Was: Revisiting Jim and Marty’s Unfinished Song
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Orlando, Florida When I wrote Reunion: A Story in the fall of 1998, I wanted to give my protagonist, Jim Garraty, a connection with Martina Elizabeth “Marty” Reynaud that reached beyond the unspoken love he feels for her in the novella. It could not, of course, be openly romantic; otherwise, Jim’s…
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Ending the Merry Month of May with a Sunday Musicale
Hi, everyone. Well, it’s the last day of May and, if you go by the meteorological calendar, it’s also the last day of spring. It’s also Sunday, and as much as I love writing – it’s what I do, after all – I do need to take an occasional day of rest. So, I’m waving…
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The Echo of a Smile: Memory, Maria, and the Garratyverse
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Books, College Life, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Films by Steven Spielberg, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Miami-Dade Community College, Movies, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961 Film), West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021)Long before Jim Garraty stood on the curb in Somerville, watching a Corolla disappear into the quiet, there was a boy sitting in a sunlit classroom, speechless at the sound of someone saying “Hi.” I wrote about Maria in Catalyst back in 1987. She was radiant, kind, and achingly real. We shared benches between buildings…
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More of My Top Fives: A (Hopefully) Self-Explanatory Set of Five ‘Favorites’ Lists
More of My Top Fives: A (Hopefully) Self-Explanatory Set of Five ‘Favorites’ Lists For my friend Patti Aliventi. Music Albums – Movie Soundtracks Star Wars: A New Hope – The Special Edition (1997. RCA/Victor Records) Superman: The Movie – 40th Anniversary Remastered Edition (2018, Warner/LaLa Land Records, ) West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack…
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On Writing & Storytelling: Music that Inspires Me While I’m Working on ‘Reunion: Coda’
Late Morning, Wednesday, September 20, 2023, Lithia, Florida Hi all. As you know, I love listening to music when I write. It doesn’t matter what I’m writing; it could be a blog post such as the one you’re reading now, or a first draft of a screenplay, or a prose story, but unless I have…
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A Duet
A poem inspired by today’s output for The New Story A duet is what I want to sing with you A song of love and longing, sweet and true I’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long But I was afraid to tell you how I feel You’re the girl I’ve had a crush…
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Musings & Thoughts for Friday, January 27, 2023, or: My Thursday Night at the Movies*
* At home, with movies in my Blu-ray collection, not at “the movies.” Hi, there, Dear Reader. Last night I watched Amazon Women on the Moon, which was co-directed by John Landis, Joe Dante, Peter Horton, Robert K. Weiss, and Carl Gottlieb, and stars, according to the main titles sequence, “Lots of Actors.“ If you…
